After scanning election results late last night and again early this morning, it's clear that Putnam's most powerful politician took a pretty good - and surprising - beating at the polls. Most of Vinnie Leibell's candidates were soundly defeated while only one managed to win a primary. Another of Leibell's Chosen Ones, John Greene, was elected to the Republican Committee in Kent, setting the stage for the planned 2011 "Return Of Evil Campaign" about to be waged in that town.

[Ed Note: I'm wondering, if I should run for county legislator would Unca Vinnie find a Jack Greene or something similar to run against me or has my town run out of homonyms?]

MaryEllen Odell slugged Vinnie Leibell yesterday in a show of force that blew all our hair back. No one thought the Senator was so unpopular that he had to squeak through with a minuscule lead in order to win the Republican primary at the polls. Down a mere 170 votes with absentee ballots still to count, there's no one in this county who should be prouder than MEO this morning. A job really well done. VL: 3206 - MEO: 3030 . There were 7 write-in votes and rumor has it one of them was for yours truly. If elected I will proudly serve.

As predicted here, Leibell arch nemesis Greg Ball beat MaryBeth Murphy in his bid to take on Mike Kaplowitz in the State Senate race in our area. His lead was commanding in every county including Westchester which is Murphy's home. The tallies for that race were:

Greg Ball

Mary Beth Murphy

County

3995

2309

Putnam

3829

2666

Westchester

1227

682

Dutchess

9051

5657

The question now is this: After Leibell's rant on Anthony Scannapieco for working for non-GOP supported candidates (like Ball and Katz (see below)) will he stand shoulder to shoulder with Ball and endorse him over Mike Kaplowitz for the race that counts in November?

Years back I warned progressive Democrats to be extra cautious about Mr. Ball and they refused to heed those warnings with the results you see today. In Ball's campaign for state Assembly against John Degnan, I pleaded with Democratic Party chair Lynn Eckardt to find a way to use Leibell's hundreds of thousands and Adam Roses hundreds of thousands more to follow Greg's *record* and ignore his personal history but was roundly rebuffed time and again. Half a million dollars spent destroying a man's character, which is the preferred method of our State Senator, only made Ball more powerful, an event repeated this time around as well. Mary Beth Murphy with Leibell's back-room support focused not on Balls' record - which is zilch - but on his personality and once again he comes out stronger than before.

Leibell simply will not learn that this tactic, though perhaps enjoyable to him as a hobby and calming to his insecure id, makes his targets ever stronger.

Note to Mike Kaplowitz: Greg Ball has no record in Albany. That's the message voters want to hear. Who he allegedly gropes, how fast he can milk a goat, his insecurities in the air force barracks' showers... no one cares.

Another one of Leibell's candidates to go down last night was Southeast Judge Jim Borkowski who lost is bid for the Republican nomination for state Assembly in the 99th district to downstate tea bagger Steve Katz. Only in Putnam did Jimmy B win - by a mere 7 votes. In the end, Katz had 4222 to Borkowski's 3969.

The big loss for Putnam County as a whole however was Anthony DiCarlo's win over Anthony Fusco, one race in which the Senator's hand proved worthwhile. Come January we may very well loose an independent voice in the county legislature and gain yet another Leibell robot making the Legislature veto-proof should he win the CE's seat or an obstructionist block should he lose. Wow. That's good government, eh? Sounds just like Albany!

In other election news:

Wealthy Westchester Wife. Mother. Limbaugh Clone. Congresswoman. Nan Hayworth easily beat off a primary challenge from tea bagger Neil DiCarlo to face John Hall in November. Hall is behind in a match-up poll with Hayworth because his core constituency has left his camp over his failure to produce the progressive agenda he ran on in 2006. His intentional move to the middle is what Democrats across the nation have been doing since Ronald Raygun was president and the results will be obvious when Republicans and Tea Baggers take control of Congress in January.

Though progressives make up a small fraction of the electorate we do seem to have just enough votes to make or break major elections. This is a lesson Democrats have failed to learn after narrow losses by Gore and Kerry and now, perhaps, Hall, and all because the national party runs in fear every time a Republican sneezes.

Eric Schneiderman, a champion of civil rights, has apparently won the Democratic party nomination for New York Attorney General. Early in the evening, Nassau County district attorney Kathleen Rice was maintaining a small lead but in the end Schneiderman came out on top with 152,954 to Ms Rice's 140,565 votes. Darling of mid-Hudson progressives, Westchester's Richard Brodsky, came in a distant 4th with 46,272 votes.

In the Republican race for Governor, a major and stunning surprise victory was had as 'bagger and Buffalo gazillionaire Carl Paladino soundly trounced Republican mainstream candidate Rick Lazio 67% to 33% even though late polls showed Lazio ahead. Lazio eked out a win in Putnam by a mere 182 votes and in Westchester by 525 but was trounced in Dutchess by 1763 votes. And in Erie County, Paladino beat Lazio with over 90% of the vote.

Keep in mind that Mr. Paladino is the candidate who wants to put poor New Yorkers in 'camps' or 'jails' so they can learn personal hygiene. If he wins in November and you've lost your job and need public assistance in any form, pack a toothbrush just in case when applying.

Kaplowitz Campaign Office to Open in Carmel

Tomorrow at 6PM State Senate candidate Mike Kaplowitz will host a Grand Opening Party at his new campaign office in Carmel at 2 Church Street, the building hemmed in by Church, Route 6 and Seminary Hill Road. We'll see you there!

There is now only one chance remaining to stop Greg Ball and this is it. .

Offensive:

A reader objected rather loudly at the Mobile-Mart in Putnam Valley and causing quite a scene, to last Friday's intro line which was:

Leshana Tova! to all my brothers and sisters in the faith. (For you goyim that's Happy New Year).

He said the word word "goyim" was an intentional offensive slur. He read an article about it, he said. If you were also offended, please either drop me a line or meet me at the Mobile-Mart for part two.

Another reader, one from Lake Carmel, strongly objected to the term "Whitestock" referring to Glenn Beck's rally in Washington DC. I'm still searching for a better name but so far have come up empty.

A note from the Putnam Valley Resident's Coalition:

Our two farmers markets are now presenting many of the fruits and vegetables of fall, including several varieties of Hudson Valley apples and grapes. The last of the corn harvest is still available as well.

Wednesday is the market at the Lake Peekskill Community Center off of Oscawana Lake Rd. at #7 Northway (north beach). Just follow our Farm Market Signs posted on Oscawana Lake Road. 3-7 P.M.

Friday is the market on the lawn at Tompkins Corners Methodist Church, 729 Peekskill Hollow Road. In addition to our other vendors, we have Putnam Valley goat cheese, goat milk and free range eggs. 3-7 P.M.

Please come see and taste what our Putnam Valley Farm Markets have to offer.

News Briefs:

Out in Pennsylvania, the state's homeland security office was sending out terrorist alert notices to local police to prepare them for imminent threats. But it turns out those dire warnings were over such things as a gay pride festival, a candlelight vigil to protest the BP oil spill and other such dangerous gatherings. A nation afraid of itself does such silly things.

Also in Pennsylvania, the very same homeland security office is taking names of anti-gas drilling activists and the meetings at which they might attend (which included a screening of the film "Gasland" in Philadelphia) and sending that information around to local police and drilling companies in its thrice weekly alerts. These posts are finding their way to *pro* drilling websites causing many Pennsylvanians to fear for their personal safety. The Department is not compiling a list of pro-drilling activists or events.

Just for the record, there are still 240 men being held at Guantanamo Bay. That's not exactly change we can believe in.

What happens if you're from Saudi Arabia and you're openly gay and a career diplomat serving in the United States? Well, when you go home they kill you. Such is the plight of Ali Ahmad Asseri who, once out, found his position terminated and his diplomatic passport revoked forcing him to return to a most unpleasant future. Mr. Asseri is currently in hiding in the United States after having applied for asylum here. No word yet from the State Department who probably won't buck Americas favorite totalitarian regime, our singular bastion of liberty and freedom in the Arab middle east and send Mr. Asseri to his death.

According to a recent study, states that tend to vote strongly Republican have a higher percentage of both teen pregnancies and divorce. However, a gay couple married in Massachusetts who now live in Texas cannot get a divorce as that state does not recognize same-sex marriages. I guess that's one way the Red states keep gay marriages together while letting the hetero ones fall asunder.

Peace-loving Gazans fired six rockets into Israel the other day. The American Left, as expected, has been silent.

If you happen to live in Lansing, MI and stopped in at a McDonald's there, chances are your specialty coffee had an interesting new flavor. Maggots. You know, baby flies?

And that's it for today. Remember, Friday brings our famous "Things To Do Edition" so if your group or organization has something going on please let me know by tomorrow, early afternoon.